PHOENIX – The news Sunday that reliever Bobby Wahl has a torn ACL in his right knee was devastating for both player and the Milwaukee Brewers, especially considering the rarity of that injury for a pitcher.

“I think everybody is surprised,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “This is a very unusual mechanism for this injury. It’s not something we’ve seen before. Our medical team did some research, and from what they found, this has only happened three times where a pitcher is injured pushing off the (pitching) rubber like this.

“This is very unusual. It’s terrible misfortune for Bobby, a guy who already has come back from a lot in his career; felt great this spring. He was throwing the ball really well. Everybody was excited about what we were seeing. He’s a resilient guy and he’ll battle back.”

One of three players acquired in January from the New York Mets for outfielder Keon Broxton, Wahl suffered the injury throwing a pitch Friday in a game against Seattle in Peoria, Ariz. He underwent an MRI Saturday with hopes of the test revealing a less significant injury.

While pitching for Oakland in 2017, Wahl suffered a right shoulder strain that eventually led to thoracic outlet surgery, in which pressure is relieved on nerves and blood vessels between the collarbone and first rib. He recovered from that procedure and was traded to the Mets in July 2018 in the deal for closer Jeurys Familia.

Wahl, 29, is on the Brewers’ 40-man roster, and with the way the Brewers rotate relievers with minor-league options, he was virtually assured time in the majors whether he made the club this spring or not. That background made the injury even tougher to take for all concerned.

“I talked to him this morning,” Stearns said. “This is tough news for anyone. Tough news for him, given the opportunity he had here this year. I think he was excited by the way we use our pen. He understood he was going to get time in the major leagues this year, whether it was on opening day or later.

“This is why we stockpile depth. We know we’re going to have injuries during the season. We know that things we don’t foresee will happen. We certainly didn’t foresee losing one of the expected guys in our expected reliever rotation for the entirety of the season in spring training. But it happens, and we’ll move forward.

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“I think we’re comfortable with our depth. Bobby was going to be a meaningful part of it. But we have other guys who have performed here in the past, and we expect them to step up.”

Wahl is a hard thrower whose fastball regularly registers in the high 90s, and therefore would have been an addition to a bullpen already featuring what manager Craig Counsell calls the “electric dudes.”

“Look, we got a piece of our depth chipped away,” Counsell said. “There’s no question. Bobby was going to pitch in the big leagues this year. So we’ve taken away one of our answers. We’re built to have more answers, but we’ve taken the first chip down already.

“He’s had a number of injuries, and he’s just going to have to continue to fight through them. His attitude -- he’s got a good approach to it right now. But he’s got a tough road ahead of him mentally. These are monotonous, challenging rehabs that these guys go through. They challenge you mentally more than physically, really.”

In that regard, Brewers infield prospect Mauricio Dubon already had spoken with Wahl. Dubon missed most of last season after suffering a torn ACL at Class AAA Colorado Springs and only recently was cleared to return to game action.

“I know how he feels,” said Dubon, who recently was setback by an intestinal illness that resulted in being hospitalized for five days. “He asked me a couple things. I told him what I did, how the recovery went, how slow the process is, but eventually it seems like it goes by quick.

“He’ll be OK. He’s a strong character guy. I feel bad for him. I faced him in live BP and he’s pretty good. He’ll come back stronger and better. The worst part is when they tell you that you have a blown-out knee. It’s sad for him. But he’ll get through it.”